Blogging and Discussion Boards

Megan Rucker and Wallace Hall

Kennesaw State University
April 29, 2017
 Workshop Overview

On March 30, 2017 Wallace Hall and I conducted a workshop for teachers is our school who

were interested in blogging and discussion boards.

Materials:

A. Sample blogging lesson plan for teachers to use (See Appendix A)

B. Handouts of sample prompts and paper blogging tools (See Appendix B)

C. Blogging and Discussion board website: http://blogsanddiscussionboards.weebly.com/

D. Presentation tool used: https://www.emaze.com/@AQRTLTQL/untitled

E. Flyer used to advertise:

https://www.canva.com/design/DACQtIkCPHo/NyEIBNZxWQR0_nZoRpv5Sw/view?ut

m_content=DACQtIkCPHo&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_sour

ce=sharebutton

F. Instructional Video about how to use Kid Blog:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0ugEgvjpMbfQWxGZ0xsWTJuUkk/view?usp=sharing

G. Evaluation tool used (Appendix C)

Workshop Lesson Plan

Objective: Teachers will learn how to incorporate blogs and discussion boards in their

classrooms in order to foster critical thinking skills and encourage writing across the curriculum.

Standards: ISTE T-1 a & b

a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness
 b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using

digital tools and resources

Essential Questions:

How can I use blogs and discussion boards in any content area to support writing across

the curriculum?

How can I use authentic tasks to make learning meaningful to my students?

Learning Activities:

I. Model how to use a blog with students

II. Discuss the tools that are available and what it looks like to blog

III. Review why blogging is an effective instructional tool

IV. Look at and discuss examples of writing across the curriculum

V. Discuss possible problems with using blogs and discussion boards and how to overcome

them

VI. Provide teachers with resources they can use for blogging in the classroom.

VII. Evaluate the workshop

Workshop Evaluation Data & Narrative:

In order to evaluate the impact our professional development had on the teachers

participating, we developed four open-ended questions that were designed to evaluate the first 3

of Guskys 5 levels of evaluation. In the survey, teachers were asked if they had any experience

with using blogs or discussion boards in the past. One of four participants had used Padlet with

their students before, but the others had not. Teachers were also asked to explain what other

types of authentic/ real- world tasks they had done with students in the past. One teacher said she
had used case studies as an authentic task. In order to determine what improvements could be

made to the workshop, teachers were asked what they still had questions or concerns about.

Teachers answered with concerns about access to technology, netiquette, moderating comments,

and just practicing with new forms of technology. In the future, I would have teachers play with

the tools we were talking to them about rather than just using the projector to present them. This

may make them feel more comfortable about some of their concerns.

Finally, in order to evaluate how effective the instruction was, we asked teachers to help

us develop blogging topics for different content areas. A social studies teacher said she would

have her students compare Knights and Samurais, and she would have them incorporate pictures

and videos as evidence of their claims. An English teacher said he would have students

complete book reviews for an English class. Another English teacher said she would have

students write about topics that make connections to the literature they are currently reading. The

last teacher was still unsure of how she would use blogs in the classroom. This indicates that

three of the four teachers we were working with felt comfortable developing tasks that use blogs

and discussion boards with their students. If I had the opportunity to continue professional

development on this topic, the next session would be a workshop session were teachers work

together to set up their tools and develop writing topic that are authentic and higher order. Based

on the results of the survey that might help address the lingering concerns teachers about

implementing blogs in their classes.

APPENDIX A

BLOGGING IN THE CLASSROOM

Wallace Hall & Megan Rucker Paulding County High School

LESSON PLAN

Instructional Days 1 - 2

TOPIC DESCRIPTION: What is the concept and definition of Blogging? In this lesson the concept of
blogs will be explored.

LEARNING TARGET: I know what a blog is and how we will use it in our classroom.

ISTE STANDARDS FOR STUDENTS:

1. Creativity and Innovation

Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products
and processes using technology.

2. Communication and Collaboration

Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively,
including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making

Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve
problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.

5. Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural and societal issues related to technology and practice legal
and ethical behavior.
TIME & LOCATION
This lesson will take 45 minutes. It is not necessary for each student to have access to a computer
for this lesson.
MATERIALS
Computer with internet access and an LCD projector to show a video and the blog website, chart
paper (1 headed Situation 1 another headed Situation 2 and a 3rd headed Situation 3)
STUDENT OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
Learn about web design and development by constructing and editing their own blogs
 Adjust their use of written and visual language to communicate effectively for different
purposes.
Write a series of texts that communicate effectively with their audience.
Find pictures and resources on the Internet to support the content in their blogs.
Improve creative writing ability by selecting an appropriate style, tone, and vocabulary for
their chosen topic

OUTLINE OF THE LESSON

Show Video (10 minutes)
Journal Entry (15 minutes)
Defining what a Blog is (10 minutes)
Exploring Blogs (10 minutes)
Register with class blog site (10 minute)
Write your first blog post (20 minute)
Digital etiquette, copyrights, and creative commons (10 minutes)
Make comments on other classmates blog posts (15 minutes)
Personal Blog Idea Brainstorming (25 minute)

STUDENT ACTIVITIES:
Complete journal entry
Groups students according to randomly selected handouts with scenarios from the video.
Participate in discussion of classification groups and definition of computer and computing.
Create a Blog Account

OUTLINE OF LESSON
Show Video 10 minutes

Settle students in their regular view spots (wherever you usually show a video to them). Tell
them you are going to show a video about an important issue that society face today and you
want them to listen for the type of issue that happens in the story and then explain how their
own ethics and morality can be applied in this situation (this could be any topic, for this
lesson we are looking at a Texting while Driving PSA as our example)
Show the video. Again, it could be any video that introduces or complements a lesson. After
showing the video, have students tell you their thoughts. (What kinds of ethical decisions
were made in the video?)
Journal Entry 15 minutes
Pass out a journal handout to students to use as their journals, they will explain how their own
ethics and morality could apply to a scenario like the one in the video. Teacher will pass out
3 different handouts to students. Students will randomly get one handout that has a scenario
on it. Scenario 1 The Driver who is texting. Scenario 2 Passengers riding with the
driver who is texting. Scenario 3 The other driver who is not texting and has kids in the
car. Students will write down their thoughts about the situation as if they were in that
position. (Teacher should take up the journals at the end of class in case someone loses it)
Defining Blogs 10 minutes
Lead a class discussion about how they normally turn in writing assignments. Would
teachers give you immediate feedback after you turn in a written assignment? How long
would it take? Is important to have feedback immediately after turning in the assignment?
Think about some ways people communicate now What can be a different way to turn in
written work? (Write answers on chart paper)
Tell students: Were going to be communicating in our classroom this year using a blog.
Does anyone know what a blog is? Ask for student definition of blog and/or tell them what
one is using above description.
(Have students write this in their folder) A blog is short for weblog, and is an online journal
or website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary,
descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Blog can also be used to
maintain or add content about a subject. Most blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave
comments and even message each other and it is this interactivity that distinguishes them
from other websites. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web
pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability of readers to leave comments in an
interactive format is an important part of many blogs.
Exploring Blogs 10 minutes

Have students read your welcome message on your Blog silently and one student to volunteer to
read it out loud to the class. Then ask if anyone has a reply they would like to post to your
message. Take a few replies and post them while students watch.
Tell students that blogging is something new you are trying with the class so you will all be
learning it together. For two days, the class will learn another piece of the puzzle. On day 3, the
class will be going to the computer lab to learn how to log-in and post on the class blog.
Register with Class Blog 10 minutes
 Show blog website address and classroom code using computer and LCD projector. Have
students log on to a computer and go to the web address and create an account using the
classroom code. www.kidblog.org is the blog site we will use.
Write first Blog Post 20 minutes

Pass back out the journal handout that have the different scenarios on it. Scenario 1 The
Driver who is texting. Scenario 2 Passengers riding with the driver who is texting.
Scenario 3 The other driver who is not texting and has kids in the car. Show students
how to create a new post. Then allow the students time to type their answers in a new blog
post
Digital Etiquette/Copyrighting 15 minutes

Show students how to use an online image for your blog post without breaking any copyright
laws. Tell them to click on the Header Image portion in Kidblog, then go to Google
Advanced Image Search click free to use, even commercially, then type a word or phrase of
the type of image you want to use in your blog post. Once you find the image, click on the
image then choose view image and copy the website address and paste it inside the URL
section of the Kidblog. The image will then appear inside the blog. Students should also
paste the website address in the body of their blog post to give credit to the owner of the
image.
Making Comments on 20 minutes

Have students read other peoples blog post in the class. Explain to the students the
importance of being positive in the way they comment on someones post. Also explain to
the students that you (the teacher) will be the first one to see the comment, and if the
comment is negative then that comment will be deleted before the other person can read it.
And if someone posts multiple negative comments, they may be suspended from the class
blog and not allowed to participate in any comments or blogging during class.
APPENDIX B

SCENARIO 3
THE OTHER DRIVER WITH
CHILDREN IN THE CAR

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Ethics: The basic concepts and fundamental principles of decent human

conduct. It includes study of universal values such as the essential
equality of all men and women, human or natural rights, obedience to the
law of land, concern for health and safety and, increasingly, also for the
natural environment.
Morality: An individual's private conduct which is not a governmental or
societal concern, and should be free from intrusion. In comparison, public
morality refers to the conduct that affects other individuals or the larger
society, and which should be governed by externally imposed laws.
 SCENARIO 2
DRIVER WHO IS TEXTING AND DRIVING

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Ethics: The basic concepts and fundamental principles of decent

human conduct. It includes study of universal values such as the
essential equality of all men and women, human or natural rights,
obedience to the law of land, concern for health and safety and,
increasingly, also for the natural environment.
Morality: An individual's private conduct which is not a governmental or
societal concern, and should be free from intrusion. In comparison,
public morality refers to the conduct that affects other individuals or the
larger society, and which should be governed by externally imposed
laws.
 SCENARIO 1
THE DRIVER WHO IS TEXTING AND DRIVING

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Ethics: The basic concepts and fundamental principles of decent human

conduct. It includes study of universal values such as the essential
equality of all men and women, human or natural rights, obedience to the
law of land, concern for health and safety and, increasingly, also for the
natural environment.
Morality: An individual's private conduct which is not a governmental or
societal concern, and should be free from intrusion. In comparison, public
morality refers to the conduct that affects other individuals or the larger
society, and which should be governed by externally imposed laws.
COMPARE IT
Think of something that you know a lot about. Something that you could teach somebody This
doesnt have to be a subject in school - it very well might be. As a person, as an individual who is living
and breathing in this world, there is something that you probably know a lot about - maybe you feel
like you know more about than most people. What is that thing? Do some research on that thing on
the internet. Compare and contrast the way a blogger and major news websites cover the story.
Then use what you have learned to create a general analysis about the differences between
mainstream news coverage and news blogs. What are the pros and cons of each? Do a google search
to find a news blog on a topic of interest.

Mainstream News News Blog

Analysis:
Name _______________________________ Blog Topic_______________________

BRAINSTORM
What subjects would you write about or feature in your blog? Fill in the different blogs with appropriate
content.

FOOD BLOG MUSIC BLOG

_____________ _____________
_____________ _____________
_____________ _____________
___ ___

BLOGS OTHER BLOG

SPORTS BLOG

_____________ _____________
_____________ _____________
_____________ _____________
___ ___

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
APPENDIX C
Workshop Brainstorm/ Evaluation
We would really like a list of blog topics for different content areas. What topics could
you use for your content area?

Have you used blogs or discussion boards in other ways in your class? If so how?

Have you done any other types of authentic/ real-life writing, with your students? If so,
what?

What concerns do you still have about doing this with your students?